The Succubus
by Rita Screecher
Summary: My first novel-length fanfic. Harry Potter's 5th year. A succubus is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and there to protect Harry from Voldemort as well.
1. Chapter 1: The Succubus

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
A/N: My first "novel-length" fic! Please read and review and let me know what you think…:)  
  
***  
  
Chapter 1: The Succubus  
  
A lone woman stood on a corner, wearing way too little. It was obvious she was a prostitute. Many looked away from her as they passed by. One young man, however, didn't avert his eyes. Nobody was sure why - he looked like a nice enough boy. Some say he'd had too much to drink; others insisted that he was high; yet some of us know the real reason. The woman was a succubus.  
  
The young man sidled closer, shoving a bit of money in her hand. He put his mouth to her ear. In a low, somewhat frightening voice, he whispered, "Are you ready?" The succubus flinched a bit. Taking his arm, the succubus led the young man to a mangy looking building. He looked at her the entire time with a somewhat hungry look. She paid him no heed; she got that look all the time - her body and sexy demeanor did that to men. However, a closer look at the young man's gaze would have revealed to her not only lust - but a thirst to kill.  
  
When they got to the room, the young man immediately grabbed her by the arms and kissed her fiercely. The succubus nearly tasted blood; he was kissing her so hard. He began undressing her and fumbling at his own trousers. She tried to separate herself from her body; this was the part she loathed. The young man finished undressing her, then pushed her somewhat unexpectedly onto the bed. She fell, hitting her head on the wall behind her. Her vision swam, and she fought the urge to throw up as he came down upon her, leering. She cried out in pain, and the young man slapped her. She could have bitten her tongue the moment she cried out. Men were all the same – only wanting pleasure, never caring if they hurt her or not.  
  
Finally he rolled off of her, laughing almost hysterically. The succubus leaned over the bed and vomited into the bucket that was placed on the floor by the bedside table. She went into the bathroom and tried to wash the taste out. When she had come back out, she was surprised to see the young man still there. Most left quickly. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his trousers already on. Upon hearing her behind him, he turned and started walking towards her.  
  
"Was it fun?" he whispered, smiling an awful smile. She said nothing. The next moment, the young man had whipped out a thin wooden stick and was pointing it straight at her heart.  
  
"Avada Kedavra," he cried. A jet of green light hit her. She glanced down at where it had hit her, almost surprised. She looked back up at the young man. He was breathing funnily.  
  
"Why aren't you dead?" he demanded. "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Once again, the green light hit her. She felt nothing, and she began to laugh. The young man stared at her, his face scrunched up in absolute puzzlement and anger.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"A succubus," she answered. "A demoness that must have intercourse once every hour when the sun goes down in order to age."  
  
"I know that," he said. "Don't patronize me, succubus."  
  
"And who are you, wizard?"  
  
"I am Lord Voldemort," the man said with relish, standing up tall. "One day, all magical beings will hear my name and cower in fear."  
  
The succubus began laughing again. The young man's face turned a nasty shade of red; his eyes slitted in anger.  
  
"How dare you laugh at me," he hissed. "You're nothing but a slut."  
  
The succubus continued laughing, almost in a frenzy. Now furious, he pulled out a knife, but she was too quick for him. She kicked it out of his hands, and the knife flew into the air, embedding itself in the opposite wall. She came closer to him, and the young man almost shied away in fear. She grabbed his chin, yanking it down to force him to gaze into her liquid onyx eyes.  
  
"You filthy coward," she hissed back. "You may frighten others, but you are nothing but a repulsive coward. You will live a coward; you will die a coward, begging your enemies for mercy. You disgust me."  
  
"How dare you!" he shrieked. "I will become the world's greatest Dark Lord! You will see! All of you will see! One day I will come back, with greater powers than ever before, to kill you, and you will be kneeling, cringing, kissing my feet, begging me to spare your worthless life. Yes, you will be sorry then!"  
  
And with that, he Disapparated, the succubus still laughing, laughing, laughing… 


	2. Chapter 2: Dumbledore

Chapter 2: Dumbledore  
  
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, removing his half-moon glasses for a moment and wearily rubbing his eyes. He rocked back, teetering rather precariously on the back two legs, but sat back up onto four legs hastily with a thud when the chair screamed at him, "Sit up, you slob!"  
  
He groaned slightly and slid his glasses back on. He looked down at the slip of parchment again, as though he hoped that it would say something different. Of course, it said the same thing that it had said a minute earlier – "Harry Potter is in grave danger. If you do not protect him now, he may never live to see 18." The note was unsigned.  
  
Dumbledore sighed. He had made it a strict rule of not babying Harry; he enforced that with himself and everyone else on the staff at Hogwarts. It wasn't that he hated Harry, or wanted to make Harry's life especially difficult. Dumbledore didn't want Harry to have to rely on anyone but himself. If people coddled Harry, he wouldn't have the ability to help himself when danger was most eminent. And therefore, when the time came, Harry would be able to defend himself and the rest of the wizarding world, and not have to run to someone else for help.  
  
Some professors disagreed. Those that did said that failing to help Harry would be dangerous, and that if they as his teachers couldn't help him now, there wouldn't be any Harry Potter to save the world from Voldemort later.  
  
"What if Harry gets into a fight? What if he dies in the fight because we failed to step in and protect him?" Dumbledore recalled McGonagall words vividly, said in half-hysteria when he announced his decision to the staff the year that Harry arrived at Hogwarts. McGonagall was the one that was most against his choice to not coddle Harry. Snape, on the other extreme, supported Dumbledore's decision whole-heartedly.  
  
"Minerva." Snape had cut in smoothly, standing up silently next to Sprout, who was also against not protecting Harry. Everyone turned to look at the dark, greasy-haired professor. His eyes were flashing.  
  
"Albus is right. If we coddle Harry Potter now, he won't know how to defend himself later on," he said, looking around at the table of grave- looking professors. "Potter won't die. He might have a hard time of it now, but he will learn to defend himself later on. And isn't that what's most important?"  
  
"You just don't like Harry Potter!" Sprout burst out, standing up as well. "Just because you had that little feud with James Potter doesn't mean that you have to send Harry to his death along with his parents!"  
  
"How dare you suggest such a thing, you dirty little –"  
  
Dumbledore rapped his hands on the table loudly for silence. Sprout and Snape sat down, glaring at one another.  
  
"My dear Professor Sprout," Dumbledore said mildly, "You must understand that we are not sending Harry to his death. No, quite the contrary – we're helping him learn to protect himself from death."  
  
And the professors understood. Throughout the years Harry Potter had been at Hogwarts so far, they were careful to treat him just like any other student. Snape, Dumbledore knew, treated him even worse than the other students, but Dumbledore said nothing, knowing that Snape's reasons were good. Once or twice, when the treatment of Harry seemed to get a little out of hand in Potions, Dumbledore would remind Snape that they weren't trying to beat Harry down, only teach him to teach himself, and in turn, Snape would loosen up on Harry a bit. However, all the teachers had a fondness for Harry Potter, and Dumbledore secretly thought that even Snape did, too…although he knew Snape would never admit it, not even at wand-point.  
  
Dumbledore reached for his Rubik's Cube and twisted the blocks around idly. Unlike the Muggle one, this one tended to switch colors around if the user took too long in solving the puzzle. But once the Cube was solved, the reward was a firework display that bounced around the room for five colorful, sparkling minutes. Dumbledore was a natural master at the Cube, and loved to play around with it for hours on end. But this time, it just wasn't coming to him as smoothly as it usually did, and Dumbledore finally pushed it away from him after a few minutes of frustrated twisting.  
  
Dumbledore sat there, thoughts churning in his brain. Should he tell someone about the note or not…if it was true or if it was a prank…and if he was to tell someone, whom could he tell and trust?  
  
He finally stood up, parchment clutched in one hand. He couldn't just sit there with this message in his hand and not tell anyone. If it were indeed a prank, then so be it – at least he would know that Harry was safe.  
  
Hurrying down the steep stone stairs towards the door of his office, the middle of each step worn with the countless feet pounding up and down them over centuries of use, Dumbledore ran through the different people he should tell. McGonagall? No, she would overreact. So would Sprout. Sirius Black would certainly have to be informed…he was Harry's godfather, after all. Severus Snape…he would know what to do.  
  
The gargoyle leaped aside as Dumbledore blew past. He walked swiftly down towards the dungeons. Reaching Snape's office, he raised his hand and knocked firmly three times on the heavy oak door.  
  
"I'll be right there," a muffled voice called out. Dumbledore stood there patiently for a moment or two, and then the door swung open.  
  
"Albus!" Snape said, rather surprised. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I just received this note," Dumbledore said tightly, showing Snape the parchment. Snape glanced at the message, his face turning pale. "Come in," he said, hurriedly ushering the Headmaster in and shutting the door carefully behind them.  
  
Snape gestured towards an armchair by the fire, and Dumbledore sat down heavily. Snape sat in the chair opposite him.  
  
"So?" Snape finally said. "What are we to do?"  
  
"I don't know," Dumbledore said, finally at a loss.  
  
"We talked about this," said Snape. "We agreed that we wouldn't coddle Harry."  
  
"But we have to protect him!" Dumbledore cried out. "Don't you see? This could be it."  
  
Snape stared into the fire. "Fine, we'll protect him," he said harshly. "But how? It can't be any of us, he – or Voldemort - will suspect something." He looked up at the Headmaster. Dumbledore was staring at a spot behind Snape's head, lost in thought.  
  
"The Summoning Spell..." Dumbledore finally said. It was so quiet that Snape barely caught the words. But he did.  
  
"The Summoning Spell?" he repeated, aghast. "That spell is risky! You don't know who or what you'll be Summoning, and if it will even obey you! Do you want to risk all of our lives for one boy?"  
  
"Don't you understand, Severus?" Dumbledore yelled. "Its either Harry survives, or we all die! He's the one that could save us all from Voldemort!" His voice quieted somewhat. "We have to take that risk."  
  
Snape said nothing. Dumbledore stood up. "We need another person for the spell."  
  
"I'll fetch Minerva," Snape said quietly. He got up and left the room. Dumbledore sat back down, brooding.  
  
***  
  
"Minerva!" Snape yelled, pounding on her office door. "Minerva!"  
  
Professor McGonagall finally opened the door, wearing a fuzzy pink robe and fuzzy pink bunny slippers and looking very cranky.  
  
"Severus?" she said, rubbing her eyes blearily and sliding on her glasses. "Do you know what time it is?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but this is urgent," he said. "Hurry, come with me. Dumbledore will explain everything when we get to my office."  
  
"Is something wrong with Harry?" she said worriedly as they hurried back towards Snape's office. Snape gave a short, dry laugh that was more like a cough than anything else.  
  
"How'd you guess," he said sarcastically. They reached his office and Dumbledore got up to greet them.  
  
"Minerva, I'm glad you came," he said, gesturing towards the armchair he had been sitting in. McGonagall collapsed into it, still looking a bit asleep, but clear-minded nonetheless.  
  
"Well?" she demanded, looking up at the two of them. Dumbledore and Snape sat down in chairs next to her.  
  
"Minerva, I just received this message," Dumbledore said, handing her the parchment. McGonagall read through the note, drawing in a sharp breath. She looked up, her face pink with anxiety and accusation.  
  
"What did I tell you?" she said, her voice shaky. "I told you that we had to protect him! And now what are you going to say? Oh, just let him handle it himself? I refuse! I don't care what you say, Albus. I'm protecting Harry no matter what."  
  
"Calm down," Snape said snappishly. "We didn't bring you here for you to yell at us. Albus has offered a solution to this…unfortunate situation." He glanced towards Dumbledore for him to continue. McGonagall turned towards him, obviously demanding an explanation.  
  
"We've decided to use a Summoning Spell to bring someone to protect Harry," Dumbledore said.  
  
"A Summoning Spell?" McGonagall said angrily. "This is your solution?"  
  
"It's the only solution!" Dumbledore replied, eyes no longer twinkling. "Can you come up with anything else?" He glared at her, a very uncharacteristic gesture for the benign, usually mild Headmaster. McGonagall was silent. "I thought so. So let's get started."  
  
***  
  
The three were gravely silent as they set up the room for the Summoning. Crystals were carefully put around the room, creating a large circle, and black candles created a bigger circle around that. Dumbledore went around the circle, lighting the candles one by one, chanting an incantation over and over under his breath. When the last candle was lighted, he took his place between Snape and McGonagall just outside the circle, and they said together, "Demons of the Underworld, we Summon one of your kind to help us."  
  
A frightening howl rose up and a shapeless light slowly formed inside the circle. The nebulous light spun around and around, pulling itself in faster and faster until it created a tiny condensed ball of pure whiteness, so bright that they could barely look at it without squinting. Alone, Dumbledore cried the last part of the spell: "Demon, I Summon you and Bind you to my side, to serve me until I release you from your Bindings." The light slowly grew larger, vaguely forming the hazy shape of a woman. The light brightened even more into a blinding flash, and they were forced to close their eyes. Upon opening them again, they found that the light had faded, and a demoness stood there, completely bare. Like most demonesses, she was voluptuous, and Snape couldn't help but stare. He gulped, and McGonagall rolled her eyes. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was instantly businesslike.  
  
"Good evening," he said. The demoness sneered.  
  
"What do you want of me, mortal?" she hissed at him. "Sex? Money? Power?"  
  
Snape opened his mouth to speak, but McGonagall silenced him by clapping her hand over his mouth.  
  
"None of those, thank you," she said to the demoness, glaring at Snape as she did so. "We want protection."  
  
"Protection?" she said, a bit surprised. She snapped her fingers and a condom appeared. Snape's eyes bugged out, and he mumbled behind McGonagall's hand. Everyone ignored him.  
  
"Not that kind," McGonagall snapped.  
  
"Suit yourself," the demoness replied, and the condom disappeared.  
  
"Protection for Harry Potter," Dumbledore clarified. "Against evil forces."  
  
"Harry Potter?" the demoness said, an eyebrow raised. (A/N: her eyebrow wasn't the only thing raised in the room…if you catch my drift.) "Hmm, I don't believe I know who he is…protection against whom?"  
  
"We're not sure," Dumbledore said. "Although my best guess is Lord Voldemort."  
  
"Lord Voldemort?" the demoness repeated, her brow furrowing. Where had she heard that name before? Suddenly memories flooded back. A young man, no, a wizard…attempting to kill her…announcing in that proud, arrogant voice that he was…  
  
"Lord Voldemort," she breathed. "Tell me who he has become, and who this Harry Potter person is."  
  
Dumbledore and McGonagall glanced at each other. Snape was busy looking somewhere else. The demoness had heard of Lord Voldemort, but not Harry Potter?  
  
"Lord Voldemort is a Dark Lord that, like most Dark Lords (A/N: and Pinky and the Brain) tried to take over the world. However, at the height of his power, Harry Potter, then a year old, stopped him. Voldemort tried to kill Harry, but his mother's love protected him, and curse rebounded off of Harry and hit Voldemort. He was forced to go into hiding, for he was severely wounded. However, last year, Voldemort got his body back through a complex ancient potion that Wormtail, one of his followers, performed. Now Voldemort is back to kill Harry Potter once and for all…and we can't let that happen," Dumbledore finished.  
  
"And that's where you come in," McGonagall cut in. "We Summoned you to protect Harry at Hogwarts." She gestured towards the room as a whole. "That's where we are – Hogwarts, a wizarding school that Harry attends."  
  
"In order to not alert Lord Voldemort that we have taken measures to protect Harry Potter, you will go into hiding as a teacher at this school," Dumbledore informed her. "We don't want any attention drawn towards this affair at all. You are to lay low as a teacher, and not call any undue attention towards yourself. Is that understood?"  
  
The demoness thought fast. She was a succubus, after all, and she had to have intercourse once every hour when the sun set because of her curse…this wizarding school would be perfect. Young teenage boys were easy to seduce. And even if this pathetic Lord Voldemort showed up, she could take him down easy. Besides, Lord Voldemort was such an egotistical, irritating little boy, threatening to kill her and all…why not show him up? Tell him who the boss is around here?  
  
"Well?" Dumbledore said expectantly. "Do you agree to protect Harry Potter?"  
  
"It's not like you have a choice or anything," McGonagall added. "We just want to be sure you won't do a half-assed job because you didn't want to protect Harry in the first place."  
  
"I don't do half-assed jobs," the succubus answered, glaring at McGonagall. "Everything I do is top-notch."  
  
I'm sure, Snape thought.  
  
"Well, it's for a good cause," the succubus said carefully, trying to make them think of her as some kind, soulful demoness. Careful, she thought. Can't let them know I'm a succubus…  
  
McGonagall looked suspicious. "Since when did you care about good causes, demoness? You thrive for evil."  
  
"I loathe this Lord Voldemort person," she said, spitting out his name in disgust. "I just want to show him up, put the arrogant little bastard back in his place." Which is true, she thought. But that's not the only reason why I'm taking this job…so many teenage boys, hormones racing all over the place…it'll be easy for me to keep up with my curse as a succubus.  
  
"How do you know Lord Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked curiously. The succubus didn't answer.  
  
"What's my payment?" she demanded instead. "What will you give me in return for protecting this Harry Potter boy?"  
  
Snape tore away from McGonagall's hand. "Me!" he shouted. McGonagall shut him up by putting a Silencing Spell on him. Snape stood there sullenly for the rest of the conversation, unable to say anything.  
  
"I will release you from your Binds when the danger has passed," Dumbledore said. "On my honor."  
  
"Agreed," the succubus said. "I accept the job." This was going to be an easy job, she thought happily. Usually her jobs ended up with her being forced to have sex with some nasty, greasy little wizard that was too pathetic to get even prostitutes, and had to go as far as Summoning and Binding a demoness. These were the worst, because they always refused to unbind her. Those jobs usually ended up with her having to get the wizard very, very drunk, and teasing him into unbinding her during his drunken stupor.  
  
She stuck out her hand in agreement, careful not to cross the magic circle. However, Dumbledore didn't take it.  
  
"Do you swear to defend Harry Potter with your life and obey any directions I give you?" Dumbledore demanded.  
  
"I swear."  
  
"Do you swear that you will not knowingly or purposefully harm any person in this school while you are doing this job?"  
  
"I swear."  
  
Dumbledore reached into the magic circle and grasped the succubus' hand. They shook. He then nodded towards McGonagall, and she took the Silencing Spell off of Snape. McGonagall and Snape quickly and quietly took apart the magic circle and tucked the crystals and black candles away carefully.  
  
"Minerva?" Dumbledore said. "Please get our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher some robes." 


	3. Chapter 3 - The Defense Against the Dark...

Chapter 3 - The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor  
  
"Damn, who's that babe over there?"  
  
"Is she a new student or a new professor?"  
  
"If she's a professor -"  
  
"I hope she isn't..."  
  
"I hope so; I'd have an excuse to stare at her all during class!"  
  
" - then she's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, because that's the only vacant position!"  
  
"I'd defend her...mm, mmm."  
  
The cluster of boys silenced as the woman swept by, wearing merely plain black robes but somehow making them seem like the sexiest outfit in the world. She gave them a smile as she passed by, and a few boys turned bright red. One brave fellow stepped forward.  
  
"Hello," he said in a slightly trembling voice. "Are you a new student here?" The woman laughed.  
  
"Do I really look that young?" she smiled. "No, I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."  
  
"What's your name?" another boy piped up, fueled by the courage of the first.  
  
The succubus paused, frantic. How stupid can we get? she thought. Not even coming up with a name for me...  
  
Thinking fast, she flashed another smile at the boys and said, "I'm Professor Lakina, but you can call me...Lilith." The succubus mentally reminded herself to tell the other professors about her new name so they wouldn't have a messy mix-up later on.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Profess - I mean, Lilith," one boy said, sticking out his hand. The succubus shook it, giving the boy a dazzling smile that made him go weak at the knees and everyone around him insanely jealous.  
  
"Well, I really must be going," she said. "I can't wait to see all of you in my class!"  
  
And with that, she glided away, leaving behind more than 20 passed out boys in her wake.  
  
***  
  
"Attention! Attention, please!" 'Professor Lakina' said, tapping her desk with her wand. The class quieted down almost instantly.  
  
"Thank you," she smiled. Her gaze swept over the room. There, she thought inwardly, spotting a tall boy with a mop of messy black hair and round glasses. That's Harry Potter. The boy I'm to protect...mustn't mess with him. The rest of the boys in the class, however...She smiled. Ooh, that red-head boy looks perfectly lovely. After all, you know what they say about tall men...  
  
"For all of you who have not yet met me, I am Professor Lakina, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," she said, her voice barely raised above a murmur, "but please call me Lilith." All the boys were on the edge of their seats, mouths slightly ajar, hanging on to every word. The girls were either rolling their eyes or trying to figure out what exactly was so entrancing about the professor that made all the boys go insane. Hermione, on the other hand, had her quill poised above her parchment, ready to take notes on Defense.  
  
The succubus stood up and strode in front of her desk. Every single male head followed her path, mesmerized by the slow swing of her hips. She perched carefully on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs as she did so. With a quick toss of her dark black hair, she began.  
  
"From what Professor Dumbledore has told me, you fifth years have had a diverse number of Defense professors during your stay so far at Hogwarts. In your first year, Professor Quirrell, who turned out to be helping Lord Voldemort." Her lip curled when she said the name, while the majority of the class turned white at the sound of Voldemort's name. "Then you had Gilderoy Lockhart in your second year, who suffered a Memory Charm and was forced to leave. And then Remus Lupin in your third, who left the position after being exposed as a werewolf." She smiled a bit. "Personally, I have nothing against werewolves...they're absolutely lovely and perfectly wild in -" She broke off. The boys blinked, interrupted from their reverie by the sudden silence. She cleared her voice delicately and continued, her face a bit pink. "And Barty Crouch, Jr. was your last professor, disguised as Mad-Eye Moody." She beamed inwardly, proud at herself for having memorized all these facts. It had taken her awhile to remember all of it. She checked the clock on the back wall surreptitiously, groaning aloud quietly as she realized she had only burned about 5 minutes of class time so far. How was she going to get through the entire year? She knew nothing about Defense Against the Dark Arts! She was the Dark Arts, for heaven's sake!  
  
"You all do have your textbooks, right?" she said, holding up her teacher's copy of the book. They nodded.  
  
"Please take them out."  
  
After much moaning and groaning from the class ("I was hoping she was hands-on teacher," one boy said sadly), the books were hauled out.  
  
The succubus turned to a random page in the textbook. "Please turn to page 351 in your textbook, class," she said. "We will be learning about..." She glanced down at the page quickly. "Vampires. Who would like to read the passage at the top of the page aloud?"  
  
Arms were nearly ripped out of their sockets in the urgency to be the first to raise their hand.  
  
***  
  
"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts class ever," Ron gushed. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh, come on!" she protested. "She didn't even teach us anything! All we did was read out of the textbook the entire class period!"  
  
"Ah, Hermione, you're just jealous of Professor Lakina," Ron said. Hermione stalked off in a huff towards the Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"C'mon, Harry, to the Great Hall," Ron said urgently. "We have to hurry to get in line for Professor Lakina's autograph."  
  
"But - Hermione -" Harry said thickly as Ron pulled him away. "And lunch! What about lunch?"  
  
"Lunch?" Ron hissed, his eyes a bit wild. "Who cares about lunch? Professor Lakina!"  
  
Harry stared at Ron. His eyes were glassy, as though he were high on some potent drug. And then it hit him. Professor Lakina. She must be a veela of some type. That's why Ron was acting so oddly.  
  
"Ron -" Harry struggled against Ron's grasp. "Stop, Ron, you're hurting my arm." Ron seemed oblivious to Harry's resistance.  
  
"Ron!"  
  
The red-headed boy was finally broken out of his trance. He blinked and looked down at Harry's arm, which was turning red from his tight grip. "Oh - I'm sorry, Harry." He let go of his death grip on Harry's arm. Harry began pulling Ron away from the Great Hall, where Lilith obviously was, and towards the Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"Ron, don't you think there's something not right about that professor?" Harry whispered.  
  
"No, not at all," Ron said, struggling vainly, panting with the effort. "Quite the opposite." He finally stopped resisting, and allowed himself to be pulled along. "Harry," he wheedled, "Please, can we go to the Great Hall?"  
  
"No," Harry replied firmly. "Peaches and cream," he said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait door swung open. Harry dragged Ron into the common room. Hermione was already sitting there, curled up on a couch near the fireplace, which at the moment was unlit. She looked up from the thick book she was reading.  
  
"Oh, it's you two," she said coolly. "Did you get your autographs?"  
  
"No," Harry said. "Sit." Ron sat obediently.  
  
"Hermione, there's something not right about that new professor," Harry said. "I mean, look what she's done to Ron." They stared at Ron, who was moaning and sinking his nails into the squashy purple armchair.  
  
"I think she's a veela of some sort," he continued.  
  
"But that can't be," Hermione said. "The last time you two were exposed to veelas, you were both affected. This time, only Ron is."  
  
"She's so beautiful!" Ron groaned loudly. They ignored him.  
  
"Yes, but didn't you see the rest of the class?" Harry said. "All the boys were on the edge of their seats, staring at her!"  
  
"Then why aren't you affected?" Hermione wondered aloud. "If she is a veela, then why aren't you -" Here she gestured at Ron, who was twisting on the couch in a mixture of agony and ecstasy - "acting like him and the rest of the class?"  
  
"I don't know," Harry muttered, "I don't know."   
  
They looked at Ron again. "Actually, come to think of it, he seems to be acting even worse compared to the rest of the class," Hermione said slowly, voicing both of their thoughts. Harry nodded, then blinked, staring at Hermione.  
  
"You look...different," he said, gazing at her as though he had never seen her before. Hermione looked startled.  
  
"I think you just haven't seen me in awhile," she said. "I don't think I've changed a bit since last year."  
  
"No, no, you look different," he insisted. "I can't put my finger on it."  
  
Ron let out a loud moan in the corner, his face buried in the back of the stuffed armchair. His wild red hair looked quite startling against the purple fabric of the couch.  
  
"Harry, Hermione, please let me go! I need to be closer to her..." He sat up, his eyes wide and pleading.  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other.  
  
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Hermione said, smiling. Harry grinned back. They drew their wands.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus," they said in unison. Ron's body went rigid and his jaw clamped together tightly. His blue eyes darted back and forth frantically, and a groan vibrated from deep within his throat.  
  
"It's for your own good," Harry said firmly. "Come on, Hermione, let's go to lunch."  
  
***  
  
"Good day, Severus," a voice purred in his ear. Snape whipped around.  
  
"Oh - hello, Lilith," he answered, a smile spreading over his face before he could stop it. "I see you're quite popular with the students." He nodded to the entire Hall. All the boys were standing up on their chairs, ignoring their food, trying to catch a glimpse of the new professor.  
  
"Yes, they just seem to love me," the succubus sighed. Snape's gaze fastened on her chest.  
  
"I don't blame them," Snape murmured. The succubus gave Snape a coy look.  
  
"Aren't you the sweet one," she said, tickling Snape under the chin. Snape inhaled sharply.  
  
"See you around...Severus." The succubus rose and flowed away. Everyone watched her as she left the Great Hall, and there was a collective sigh when the last flutter of her robes disappeared.  
  
"Severus." Another female voice, this one not very happy. Snape looked up. It was McGonagall a few chairs down, scowling in his direction. She stood up and walked over to him, bending over and hissing in his ear.  
  
"Don't. Let. Your. Guard. Down," she whispered. "She's a demoness, for heaven's sake. Don't ever forget that."  
  
"I know," he said irritably, shaking her off. "I know! I'm not some silly 16 year old boy, lusting after demonesses."  
  
"It's hard to believe that, watching you with her," she replied. She returned to her seat, glaring at him from between bites of her chicken.  
  
***  
  
Ugh, what a greasy, disgusting man, the succubus thought, walking away from Snape's chair. But he seems like an easy catch. He'll last for a few weeks, I think…after I take care of the lovely red-headed boy. She smiled to herself, disappearing out the door and in the direction of her room, which was connected to her office, which branched off from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. In an attempt to keep up appearances, her office was very teacher looking, with a big desk in the middle with papers and quills scattered over it, and a file cabinet in the corner. However, she had furnished her room with plenty of scented candles and soft pillows. I love this job.  
  
***  
  
"Well?" he demanded. The short man the sharp comment had been directed to flinched.  
  
"M-Master," he stuttered, "I promise you; I will do better next time! Just give me another chance! You don't know how high security is around the area, now that they know that you have risen once more. I could barely get into the castle."  
  
"Very well," the tall man hissed. "I expect a full report in two weeks. Now get out of my sight. You make me sick."  
  
The small man bowed hurriedly and turned to leave. A moment later, a rat scurried out of the room. 


	4. Chapter 4 The Student

Chapter 4 - The Student  
  
"Jupiter," Professor Sinistra began, "is the largest planet in our solar system. Can anyone tell me what it is made of?"  
Hermione's hand shot up into the air. Professor Sinistra smiled kindly at her.  
"Dear, why don't we give someone else a chance this time?" she said. She glanced around the room at the rest of the class and her gaze lighted on Ron. "Well, Mr. Weasley?" Everyone turned to look at Ron. He hardly seemed to notice the sudden attention, instead looking as though he were miles away.  
"Mr. Weasley!" Professor Sinistra repeated, her normally melodious voice taking on a tone of irritation. Ron blinked, seemingly shaken from his reverie, and stared at the Professor, who was now glaring at him. He shrank in his chair somewhat.  
"Yes, Professor Sinistra?" he said in as innocent tone as he could manage.  
"What is the planet Jupiter made of?"  
"Erm..." Ron floundered, flipping through his messy notes frantically. He glanced at Hermione, his eyes pleading her for the answer. She merely looked back at him, a slight smirk on her face saying, "You should've been paying attention. Not getting you out of this one, Ron."  
"I'm waiting, Mr. Weasley," Professor Sinistra said sternly, in a voice that would rival Professor McGonagall's. Ron finally looked up from his pile of notes.  
"I don't know, Professor," he mumbled. The Gryffindors groaned, and sure enough, a moment later -  
"Five points from Gryffindor, for not paying attention during class." The Slytherins smirked and Ron turned a shade pinker than usual and slumped in his chair.  
"Let's see if you can redeem your house, Ms. Granger," Professor Sinistra smiled. Hermione tossed her bushy brown hair and proceeded to give a long, lengthy answer about Jupiter's composition. Ron craned his neck to see if Hermione was hiding an encyclopedia anywhere.  
By the time Hermione had finished, half the class was drooping with sleep. Professor Sinistra, on the other hand, was gazing at Hermione in rapture, beaming widely.  
"Excellent, Ms. Granger. I couldn't have said it better myself. Five points for Gryffindor." She glanced at the rest of the class and was greeted by heads of hair instead of faces. "Heads up! We're going to the top of the Tower to take a peek at Jupiter and its moons. I hope you all have brought your telescopes today." At this announcement, heads rose, and, with much moaning and groaning, the telescopes were hauled out.  
"Single file line, please," Professor Sinistra said. The class followed her out of the classroom, which was at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, and started up the winding staircase to the top.  
"This class is at midnight; really, how does she expect us to pay attention?" Ron grumbled to Harry, trying to hide a yawn as he lugged his scratched-up, dented second-hand telescope up the steps.  
"It's called coffee," Hermione said brightly, holding up a large mug as she bounded up the stairs in front of the rest of the class.  
  
***  
"Wasn't class fascinating today?" Hermione gushed, walking between Ron and Harry. It was 2:00 AM, and the trio was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower."Absolutely entertaining," Ron said, rolling his eyes.  
"Couldn't think of anything else I'd rather do," added Harry. They both stifled exaggerated yawns and laughed as Hermione pushed them in mock disgust.  
"Ron?" A hand reached out to touch his arm. Ron felt a slight thrill go through him, and even before he turned around he knew it was Professor Lakina.  
"Yes, Professor?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.  
"I need to talk to you," she murmured. "It's about your paper on vampires."  
"Oh yes, Professor, have you finished grading those?" Hermione interrupted. "I know, I should've gone more in depth in my paper about vanquishing, but I got a bit out of hand in describing them and their history, and I ended up running out of room for more on vanquishing..."  
"No, I haven't finished grading them," the succubus said a bit frostily. "Hermione, is it?"  
Hermione frankly looked taken aback. Teachers were usually so taken with her that they would remember her for years. And now Professor Lakina could barely remember her name. I'm not becoming a bad student, am I? Have I lost my touch? Maybe she doesn't like me. Why doesn't she like me? Hermione racked her brains, trying to figure out if she had done anything out of order during class.  
"I expect I'll be done grading them in a few days," the succubus continued. She turned back to Ron. "Well?"  
Ron looked at her, then to Harry and Hermione. "I'll catch up with you two, okay?" The two nodded and left.   
"Professor?" Ron prodded.  
"Come, let's talk in my office," she said, tugging on his arm.  
"In your office?" Ron said, confused, but following the succubus down the darkened hallways obediently. "Can't we just talk here? How long is this going to take?" She didn't respond.  
"After you," she said, opening the door to the classroom with a flourish. Ron entered the classroom, and then was led to the adjacent office. The succubus surreptitiously locked the office door after them, but Ron saw.  
"Erm...Professor?" he said a bit nervously. "Why are you locking the door?"  
"Oh!" The succubus looked down, feigning surprise. She gave a little laugh. "I get so used to locking the office whenever I come in - I don't like students entering when I'm busy. It's almost second nature to me by now." She unlocked it, smiling widely at Ron. He nodded back faintly.  
"Don't you think it's a bit stuffy in here?" she asked. Ron shrugged, not knowing what she meant by the question. "Why don't we go into my room instead, Ron?"  
Ron by now looked very tense. "Um...if you say so, Professor..." He followed her into the small room. The succubus got busy, lighting candles here and there.  
"I just like the scent," she explained to his puzzled face. "Sit." Ron sat down uneasily on a pink and purple pillow that was conveniently placed on the ground, reluctant to sit on the bed.  
"So...what did you need to tell me, Professor?" he asked. "About my paper?"  
"Forget the paper," the succubus breathed. She slowly removed her robes and dropped them to the ground, revealing a very skimpy black lace nightie underneath, all the while carefully staring at Ron. His face turned red, then white.  
"What's all this about, Professor?" he managed to squeak out.  
Bending, she whispered in his ear. "Call me Lilith." Tingles shot up and down his body - from ecstasy? Or something else?  
The succubus sat down gracefully next to Ron and began nibbling at his ear. She kissed up and down his neck, sending more shivers through his body. But when she moved around to his lips, he cried out.  
Her lips were burning hot. When she kissed him on his mouth, it felt as though fire licked his body, burning his skin to a crisp. It was as though he was in the deep depths of Hell, and visions of a demon-like monster danced in front of his eyes. He screamed then, and pushed her away frantically, panting. She looked at him, almost pouting.  
"What's the matter?" she said, her mouth turning down at the corners but her dark eyes dancing. "You don't like my kiss?"  
"You stay away from me," he breathed. "Stay away." He fumbled for his wand, and pointed it at her. She was still sitting on the ground, her black hair tumbling around her shoulders in a cascade. She stared back at him, then smiled in understanding.  
"You're playing hard to get, aren't you? How cute. Sit back down, Ron," she said, patting the ground next to her. "Don't be afraid. I won't bite." When he made no move to do so, she stood up and slowly strode towards him. Ron was paralyzed, and couldn't help but stare at her hips slowly swinging back and forth. "Don't be afraid of me, Ron." She reached up and stroked his face lightly with her fingertips. Ron closed his eyes. He felt as though he was falling into a deep pool of water, his limbs flailing around desperately. And the only way he could get out was to give her what she wanted.  
"No!" he shouted, breaking out of the trance-like state she was weaving around him. He backed away and felt the door behind him. He kept his wand trained on her. "Don't touch me." He reached for the doorknob and twisted it, and almost tripped as it gave way. He turned and ran out of the room. The succubus swore.  
I knew he was too young, she said to herself furiously, sitting back down on the edge of her bed. Now what am I going to do? What if he tells Dumbledore? I'll be sent back to Hell. Damnit! Stupid boy, why did he run away? She exhaled loudly, flopping onto the bed. The familiar dull pain was coming back to her head. I've got to have intercourse soon, she worried. I wasted all that time with that foolish boy. So much for redheads. She ran her hand through her fingers, trying to think. Wait - the Potions Professor! The succubus sat up and smiled. She bent over, scooping up her black robes back off the floor and pulling them on. She whirled out of the room, carefully locking it closed behind her. Severus Snape, here I come. She laughed aloud, sprinting down the hall, her long hair flying behind her.  
  
***  
"Harry! Hermione!" Ron burst into the common room, breathing hard and nearly crying. "Where are you two?"  
Two heads popped up from the nearest couch, whose back was to him. He looked at them, his vision foggy from tears.  
"Ron?" Hermione said, rushing towards him. "What's wrong?" She led him to a chair, which he nearly collapsed into. Harry bent over him worriedly.  
"What happened, Ron?" he asked.  
"Did you fail the paper or something?" Hermione said.  
"Hermione! Do you really think I would be crying if I failed a Defense paper?" Ron cried. "No - it was Professor Lakina."  
"What did she do?" Harry demanded. "Did she try to kill you or something?"  
"No - no, nothing like that," Ron said, calming down slightly. "She - I know this is going to sound absolutely stupid - but she came on to me."  
Silence. You could've heard a pin drop. Hermione would've laughed, but she stifled it. Instead, she said, "She came on to you? What do you mean by that?"  
"As in she took off her robes and was kissing me and trying to climb onto my lap!" Ron said hysterically.  
"And that was a bad thing?" Neville sighed in the corner.  
"Neville!" all three exclaimed. "Get out of here!"  
Neville left the common room quietly along with Trevor the Toad.  
"And?" Hermione prompted him.  
"And I pushed her off! What did you think I did?" Ron exclaimed. "Had sex with her?" Hermione didn't reply. Ron threw his hands up.  
"Who do you think I am?" he shrieked. Harry quickly took over the conversation.  
"Do you think she would've tried to have sex with you?" he asked anxiously.  
"No, Harry. She was climbing on my lap and kissing me all over the place. Of course she wasn't trying to have sex with me!" Ron said in near hysteria and obvious sarcasm.  
"But that's rape!" Hermione said. "She was forcing you to have sex! That's sexual harassment! You have to report her!" Harry agreed, and the two began discussing different ways to tell Dumbledore.  
"No!" Ron interrupted, shouting vehemently into the din. Harry and Hermione stopped talking, stunned.  
"What do you mean, no?" Harry finally demanded.  
"No," Ron repeated. "No, I'm not reporting her."  
"But - why?" Hermione said. "What if she tries to do this again? With another student? Are you going to let that happen?"  
"I can't report her," Ron said. "You weren't there. When she kissed me - I felt like I was burning alive. When I closed my eyes, there was some sort of demonish monster in front of my eyes. It was so life-like; I could've sworn he was really there, as though if he just reached out with his clawed hands a bit more he could grab me. It - it felt as though I was - in Hell." His voice dropped on these last few words. "I don't ever want to look at her anymore. She's frightening and scary and hellish. But at the same time...I don't want to never see her again."  
"Your logic makes no sense!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're saying that you're scared of her, and you don't want other people to go through what you went through, right?" Ron nodded. "Yet you refuse to report her!"  
"What if she goes ballistic?" Ron said, his voice scaling up. "She would know for sure that I was the one who reported her! What if she comes back and kills me? Or tries to kiss me again? I can't face that monster again. I can't face the feeling of fire licking at my body again. I just don't have the courage like you and Harry do. I'm just not as brave as you two are. Throw me into Hufflepuff for God's sake. I don't belong in Gryffindor."  
There was no use. Ron was adamant in declaring that he wasn't going to turn Professor Lakina in. And besides, they had no proof that she had even done what Ron said she had done.  
When they had finally persuaded Ron to head up to his dorm room and try to sleep, it was 3:00 AM. Harry and Hermione were exhausted, but they knew they had to talk about what had happened.  
"She can't be a veela, though," Harry said. "The only characteristic she fits is the fact that she drives men wild, and that isn't even true because I'm not as affected by it as Ron is."  
"Can veelas focus their attentions on one person, though?" Hermione pondered.  
"It might be possible..."  
"We'll have to go to the library together tomorrow to look it up."  
"And she has black hair and dark eyes, completely unlike regular veelas, who have light blonde hair and bright, clear eyes," Harry continued. "She's a complete opposite when it comes to looks."  
"Maybe she's their type of albino," Hermione said, smiling. Harry smiled back, but shook his head.  
"My guess is she's a vampire of some sort," he said. "You know - the neck nibbling part."  
"Maybe even a cross between a vampire and a veela!" Hermione exclaimed. "That makes sense! She has vampire and veela characteristics!"  
"That sounds very plausible," Harry agreed. Hermione grinned.  
Why am I suddenly so ecstatic because of Harry's approval?  
  
***  
I'm in. Keep to the shadows. Where is the Boy's dorm? Who is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Where is their room? What is the current password to the Gryffindor Tower? How often is the password changed? Who comes up with the passwords? Is there a system used to come up with the passwords? What is the easiest and fastest way one can get into the castle without being spotted? Where can 13 people hide for at least 7 days? Two weeks...two weeks to find out all of this or I'm dead.  
A hole is spotted. A small brown rat scurries over and hides, clutching a morsel of cheese that has been found in an abandoned, never-swept corner of the Great Hall. Sleep. There is a busy day ahead. 


End file.
